Maps

Essentially, all of the variety of historical, spatial data stored in CAMEL’s archive is a “map,” or a visual, symbolic representation of an area, its objects, and their relationships. Maps can be 2D, 3D, or multi-dimensional, virtual or physical, diagramming the spatial relationships of observed phenomena. Here we refer to the traditional sense of geographic maps as represented on two-dimensional pieces of paper, although CAMEL also manages and visualizes virtual map objects.

The Oriental Institute houses an impressive collection of several thousand maps dating primarily from the past two centuries. With the aid of a large-format, 42” Contex Crystal scanner, CAMEL has digitized and catalogued those maps which are out of copyright or for which we have the publisher’s permission. Map series in the collection derive from a wide variety of governmental, commercial, and educational sources.

The following table summarizes a selection of the map series in CAMEL’s holdings that are within public domain, to the best of our knowledge. Our mission is to make these types of data as freely as possible. We welcome contact from individuals who wish to share digital images of their map collections or request images from us.